Category Archives: Uncategorized

Posted onAugust 14, 2017|Comments Off on See how we’re creating a sustainable future

We just released our 2017 Corporate Sustainability Reportshowing our progress toward a sustainable future by reducing carbon emissions by 34% since 2005 and increasing investments in renewable energy.

We also cut fossil fuel generation water withdrawals by over 25% since 2005 with plans targeting a reduction of 75 percent by 2030.

“Sustainability means doing the right thing with an eye toward the long run,” said Alliant Energy’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Patricia Kampling. “So our sustainability strategy looks into the future, promoting responsible company growth through the economic, social and environmental decisions we make today.”

We continue to transform our generation profile to meet the future needs of our customers in a sustainable way. Between 2005 and 2018, our company will have permanently retired nearly 1,000 megawatts of coal-fired generation, and we’re planning to add over 1,000 megawatts of new, low-cost wind capacity by 2020.

Cleaner natural gas facilities are also being brought into our resource mix. Wind works hand-in-hand with natural gas generation, which can adjust up and down quickly to provide reliable power as the wind increases or decreases.

In 2016, renewable energy made up 15% of our company’s rated electric capacity. By 2024, that is expected to nearly double as we pursue new investments in wind and other renewable generation.

In addition, the report touches on topics like safety, our workplace, grid reliability, community support and corporate giving. The publication wraps up with a section that includes environmental and other performance data.

Our Iowa energy company is pursuing another major wind investment that will help solidify the state’s national leadership in renewable energy. On August 3, 2017, we filed to get approval from the Iowa Utilities Board to add up to 500 megawatts of wind energy in Iowa. A decision is expected in early 2018.

“The customers and communities we serve will benefit from this cost effective clean energy,” said Doug Kopp, president of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company. “Our wind projects will help keep energy costs stable over the long-term for customers.”

We received approval in 2016 for a similar expansion. The combined projects would represent a $1.8 billion investment and add up to 1,000 megawatts of new wind generation in Iowa. That’s enough to power up to 430,000 Iowa homes a year. As a result, wind is expected to be more than one-third of our Iowa energy mix in 2020

“Iowa has seen tremendous benefits from the expansion of the wind energy industry in our state. We appreciate Alliant Energy continuing to invest in wind and other renewable energy sources to power our state,” said Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.

Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company (Interstate Power and Light) filed an application for advance rate-making principles on August 3, 2017 (RPU-2017-0002). The key principles requested in the application include:

Cost cap of $1,780/kilowatt, including allowance for funds used during construction (AFUDC) and transmission costs

11.0% return on common equity (ROE)

40 year depreciable life

10% AFUDC ROE used for modeling that allows for the higher of 10% or the 2016 test year base rate review result

With flood warnings being issued in portions of Iowa and Wisconsin, here are a few reminders to stay safe. Never walk through a flooded home or basement unless utility services are turned off.

Even a small amount of water on the floor of your basement can put you at risk for electrocution.

Standing water can snuff out pilot lights on hot water heaters and furnaces. If this occurs, natural gas may collect in your home, creating the risk of an explosion.

Call us to have both electric and natural gas service disconnected at the meter.

Once the power is disconnected, it’s safe to begin clean up.

Before calling us to reconnect service:

Electric: Have a licensed electrician inspect your electrical system. Find out which components property owners are responsible for, and which components Alliant Energy will repair.

Natural Gas: Have your furnace and water heater inspected by a heating or appliance service and repair contractor. Gas appliance manufacturers recommend replacing appliance parts that have been under water.

We do not charge for turning off your service when flooding occurs, or turning it back on after the cleanup is done.

If you smell gas:

Leave the property.

Do not attempt to locate gas leaks.

Do not use telephones of any type, including cordless, cell or landline.

Do not turn on or turn off any lights or electrical switches.

Do not operate any electrical device, including phones, garage door opener, radios, TVs, computers, or anything that creates a flame like matches or a lighter.

From a safe location, call 911 or Alliant Energy. Keep others away until the area is inspected, ventilated and safe.

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Posted onJuly 7, 2017|Comments Off on More options for an improved customer experience

We recently introduced a new power outage map, an updated bill design and other website enhancements to improve our customers’ experience.

When the power goes out, customers consistently rank communications about the outage as their top concern. That’s why we created an interactive map that displays information about outages: what caused them, how long restoration will take and what other areas are impacted.

We’ve made it easier for customers to report outages and get information. Radar and storm tracking is included in the outage map, so customers can see what is happening in real time.

Our website, alliantenergy.com, features multiple languages to help get information to all of our customers.

Other recent customer enhancements include a clearer, easier-to-understand bill with a 13-month usage summary. This can help customers see how their unique usage changes with the seasons.

More improvements are on the way. We’re working on a new mobile app for customers to access accounts and pay bills; the app is expected to be available later this year.

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Posted onMay 18, 2017|Comments Off on We’re building the largest solar site in Iowa

DUBUQUE, Iowa – May 18, 2017 – Our customers in Iowa will soon get a big boost of solar power. Our Iowa energy company is expanding solar energy and we have started construction on the state’s largest solar site.

Work is underway to prepare the location, which is in Dubuque, for more than 15,600 solar panels. The site is expected to start generating renewable energy for customers in August. The 5-megawatt system can generate enough energy from the sun to power 727 typical Iowa homes annually.

“Solar energy is more affordable when it is built on a large scale,” said Terry Kouba, vice president of Iowa operations. “This is our largest solar project yet, and like our other projects, we will apply lessons learned to the development of more solar sites across Iowa.”

The solar project is located in the Dubuque Industrial Center West and is a collaboration with the city of Dubuque and the Greater Dubuque Development Corp.

Alliant Energy is also working with A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Co. to construct a solar site near downtown Dubuque. With more than 3,500 panels, this 1.2-megawatt system will generate enough energy to power 126 typical Iowa homes annually starting in September. This site will feature an educational component for visitors to learn more about the benefits of solar energy.

Home electricity use is one of the top issues to address if you want to reduce your carbon footprint.

And, even if you rent, or your roof isn’t right for solar, we still offer an easy way for you to go green.

Choosing Alliant Energy’s Second Natureprogram enables you to take advantage of earth-friendly renewable energy produced from local wind, solar and bioenergy generators.

When you participate, you’re helping to displace electricity that would otherwise come from sources like coal, natural gas and nuclear power, and to improve air quality.

Just one household participating in Alliant Energy’s Second Nature program at the 100% level reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 8.6 metric tons per year. That’s equivalent to taking almost two passenger cars off the road for one year.

You can sign up to use renewable power in amounts equal to 25%, 50% or 100% of your electric usage. A few dollars per month can make a big difference.

The energy for Second Nature customers comes primarily from wind farms in Hancock County, Iowa, and Dodge County, Wisconsin. The remainder comes from a landfill gas generator in Janesville, Wisconsin and new solar projects in Wisconsin and Iowa.

The Second Nature program is Green-e® Energy certified and meets the environmental and consumer-protection standards set forth by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions.

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Posted onMay 1, 2017|Comments Off on Customers, media can get the scoop faster when outages occur with our new map

We know our customers and our media partners want more detailed information about outages, like the cause and when power will be restored. And our new map delivers!

“We know our customers want more information about outages, like the cause and when power will be restored. You will notice a significant upgrade to our interactive outage map,” said Tim Heinrich, Director of Customer Experience and Engagement.

New features

Detailed information: Estimated restoration time, number of customers out, crew status and cause.

View your way: You can view outages by ZIP code or county in a table or on the map.

Weather overlay: View the weather in your neighborhood or across our service area and see how it is impacting outages.

Up-close views: When viewing an outage, you can zoom in to within 500 feet of an outage, like a neighborhood.

Bookmarks for convenience: You can bookmark your location, or multiple locations, on the map to quickly see if there’s an outage in the area.